Announcing the LongPixel!

In 2014 we launched the AllPixel: an easy way to control various kinds of digital RGB LEDs. This time, we wanted something that would bring that same level of ease to analog RGB LEDs. Enter the LongPixel.

The LongPixel is able to drive 12-24V Common Anode RGB LED analog strips (the kind that have +V, R, G, and B wires). By using the WS2801 LED driver chip, multiple LongPixels can be chained together and treated as a “strip” of digitally addressable super-LEDs. The LongPixel can work with just about any platform that supports SPI communication, including the Arduino, the Raspberry Pi, and our AllPixel LED controller. The awesome FastLED Arduino/AVR library and our own BiblioPixel Python library are great control software options. Screw terminals, standard headers, and integrated mounting points make hardware setup a snap.

As with all our work, the LongPixel is 100% open and all of the design files are available on GitHub.

To help get the LongPixel into the hands of LED lovers at a reasonable cost, we’re launching a Kickstarter to help fund an initial run of the boards. We are also offering rolls of analog LEDs at a discount to backers: $25 or less for 5 meters.